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3.26.2012

How To Make Appliques For Furniture 2

Are you ready for part 2? This is the fun part of making your own clone appliques. Did you get your playdough made? If you didn't you will need to go Here. Do you have an applique ready to clone? If you are repairing furniture then you can clone a part that is not damaged to replace the damaged part. If you want to make entirely different kinds of appliques then you will need to purchase one to clone.

I know it is a bummer that we have to start out buying an applique but then you will have it for a pattern to make more of the same applique. By the way, you can clone other things too like resin pieces such as this light switch cover in the above picture or even metal pieces such as the ones in the pictures down farther. Just be sure to buy at least one of whatever you want to clone.

The first step is to roll the playdough that we made last week out evenly. I like to roll mine out into a plastic tub.

Next, take your applique or resin piece or...

Metal piece like in the picture above. I thought this would look cool attached onto a large headboard but I wanted two of them so I could make it look like one huge decoration. So dreamy and romantic...

Make sure you have plenty of playdough. The piece must not be thicker than the playdough is and there needs to be at least a half inch or more playdough past the edges of the piece you want to clone.

Press the piece you desire to clone down into the playdough until it is even with the top of the playdough. Pull the piece out carefully so you do not mess up your impression.

For the next step you will need some Durham's Water Putty and some water. You can buy the Water Putty at your local lumber yard store.

The instructions on the Water Putty can says to mix 1 part water to 3 parts powder. You will need just a bit more water. The instructions say to make it the consistency of dough but for our project you will need it to be a bit thinner so you can pour it. Don't add more water than you absolutely need for it to pour into your mold.

I like to mix it into something that I can just throw away after I am finished with the project such as plastic cups

Mix it very well. You don't want to have any clumps or bubbles. Add any needed extra water very slowly so you don't get it too thin. You want it similar to pancake batter.

Pour the water putty mixture into the mold. Do not over fill it. You only want to fill it up to the edge of the molded area. You do not want the putty mixture to go past the molded image areas. The picture below is of another similar project that I worked on and it as the exact shape that you see below. It should look almost like it did when you were pressing the original into the playdough.

You will need to leave the putty mixture to dry. It will take a little more time than the can says if you added more water. If you are making something that will need screw holes like the light switch then be sure to make your holes with the size of screws you will be using at some point before the mixture gets completely hard. Poke your holes and then remove the screws when the mixture will not run. Be sure the piece is completely dry before you try to take it out of the mold or you will have a mess. The playdough will absorb some of the water so you may have to wipe away some of the playdough from your hardened mixture. You may also need to sand off the rough areas such as you see in the picture below.Sometimes I have had my playdough be ruined by the excess water that is absorbed but it is easy to make more if needed.

See how great my light switch cover turned out? A little sanding around the switch holes and on the back and it was all set to go. Every detail turned out perfect. Your finished piece can be painted if desired. You can also mix dry colors into the putty while it is wet if you like.

Have you ever had a very detailed piece break off of a piece of furniture or a frame? Now you know how you can make a piece to repair it. At a certain point the putty becomes the consistency of hard soap and can be carved easily. Are you thinking of lots of things you can do with this? I know that I am. I think the possibilities may be endless. You can read more about the putty here and even find more ideas.

I would love to see pictures of your projects that you use this tutorial for if you desire to share.

I've just found your blog and Im lovin it. I have to find this water putty and try this. Im always needing something to cover up a bad place in the wood of a project or just something to add a little extra. This is perfect. Thanks for sharing.Im your newest follower. Please come visit me at PICKINandPAINTIN.blogspot.com and hopefully you'll follow back? THANKS

It would depend on what I were attaching the applique to. If I were attaching to wood then I would use wood glue and possibly add a couple dots of hot glue to hold it in place until the wood glue dried. If to another surface then the glue or adhesive needs to be compatible with the surface you are adhering to.

I want to repair a wooden appliqué which is perfectly intact on the right side but a piece is missing on the left. I don't think this method will solve my problem if I make a mold of the right side, the flat bottom side of the mold will be what is facing up when I go to apply it to repair the left side which is damaged. I think I may have to use the plaster mold to now make a mirror image mold for the left side. Does this make sense to you?

Actually Dee, before I finished my appliques, right after I wrote this post, my husband surprised me with a brand new bed. Lol. I think he was a little afraid of what I was planning lol. That has been several years ago now and so I am thinking I might take that bed apart and use the footboard in another room as a headboard...maybe I will try my original plan and add some appliques. ;)

I, too, have just found your site and it is just in time. One of the pulls on my dresser broke and I need to make another one and didn't know how to do it. I understand your post but am confused as to how to make the back so that it can be screwed into the dresser. My pull has 2 "things" that stick out in the back so that it can be screwed into the drawer but I don't know how to make that. Can you help me?

Could you please tell me how to make a copy of a drawer pull that has 2 pieces on the back that you have to screw into the dresser. I can do the front but how do I get the two pieces on the back? I hope I have explained this right.